Hspin NVx

Reviewed by Chris Rhoads

Introduction

The H shaped yo-yo. What image just came to mind? Whenever someone mentions the H shaped yo-yo, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Envy line by Hspin. The profile of the Envy epitomized the H shape. Now, I have to admit right off the bat that I have had no desire to ever touch the Envy line. They looked ugly with a capital F. They also looked extremely uncomfortable. Now these are my opinions of it so please don’t flame me for them in the forums. When I was offered a chance to review the updated NVx I was extremely apprehensive. Would this look as uncomfortable as the Envy? Would it be as hit in the face as the Envy? How exactly will it perform with ALL of the weight pushed to the rims with no center weight to help with stability? I guess we will just have to find out.

Specs

• Weight: 65.9g
• Diameter: 54.2mm
• Width: 39.7mm
• Gap: ~4mm
• Bearing: 5x11x5 Hybrid steel/plastic de-shielded bearing with super-low friction
• Response: Slim custom silicone stickers, the recess will accept flowable silicone.

Construction

The NVx comes in the now standard Hspin package. This has a compartment for each half of the yo-yo and a middle compartment for the string, response stickers, bearing, and axles. You read that correctly, axles… plural. Hspin sends an extra just in case you damage or loose the original. Little touches like that go a long way in my book and let me know that they are actually thinking about their customers and not just the bottom line. After rescuing the NVx from its compartmentalized cocoon, I assembled the yo-yo. This is another cool thing about the Hspin packaging. You get this feeling of doing everything yourself and that you are first person to put this yo-yo into action.

The looks of this yo-yo are unlike what I am accustomed to seeing. The halves look like they were modeled after turn of the century door handles with very shallow cups. The extreme H shape enhances the 4mm gap. The color scheme of red and pinkish-purple gives a visual flair reserved for companies that allow you to mix and match halves. All in all a very goofy, but strangely appealing looking yo-yo.

When it comes to the build, this yo-yo has some very unique features. The response system accepts a custom response sticker or flowable silicone. The IGR is small, only covering half of my thumb nail but has a superb lip allowing me to catch it almost every time.  Then there is the schmoove ring. There is a very subtle, shallow, channel cut into the wall just before you hit the response recess. This “soft schmoove” as Hspin calls it does reduce string friction and does not have the kickback that most schmoove ringed yo-yos seem to acquire.

There are some interesting aesthetic choices and some odd design choices that don’t look like they would work but do so quite well. I do have to admit that after playing it for a while, I have become a big fan of the looks of the NVx. It is just too crazy looking not to like.

Weight

At about 66grams, this yo-yo fits snuggly in the medium weight category; not a heavyweight and by no means a featherweight. Now, this being an H shaped yo-yo means that all that weight is pushed to the rims. There is a small inner hub and then the huge, almost flat rims. To give you an idea, the distance between the inside of one rim to the inside of the other rim is about 20 mm and it is all gap. There is next to no slope in the inner gap. What this all means is that there is a mind-blowing amount of spin time. The surprising thing is that there is also a great amount of stability. I was genuinely shocked by this considering that there very little center weight. I thought it would be a wobble fest but I was pleasantly met with a smooth and consistent yo-yo.

Response and Bearing

The bearing in the NVx is the new, low friction, plastic/steel hybrid 5x11x5 bearing that Hspin has been using since the release of the baby blue Cut. After playing this bearing, I can honestly say that I would love to find them in all the standard sizes. These bearings are amazing. After breaking in they spin forever. Also as a test I cleaned one and it spun incredibly long while staying quiet, and it was dry. Quiet bearings are a godsend to me. I am not a fan of a noisy yo-yo.

The pads are an interesting new pad custom made for the NVx. While I have no problems with innovation, the two things I don’t want innovated are the bearings or the pads. These should be standardized so that the end user can easily purchase replacements. Luckily the pads that Hspin had made seem to last for quite a long time and they send an extra pair in the box. Also, the recess is deep enough to hold flowable silicone so when you run out of the pads you can sili that yo-yo up and continue playing.

Playability

Wow, that is the only thing I can say about this yo-yo. It fits my play style perfectly. It is a fast little bugger that reacts when I want it to. The spacious gap allows me to throw it up anywhere and land it. This is key because I am not the world’s best player. I am constantly learning new things and this yo-yo makes it easy to do so. When it comes to things I do know, this yo-yo far exceeds my expectations. The NVx Eli Hops like a jackrabbit with its feet on fire. The lack of sidewall to catch the string means that it can pull off the most amazing suicides. The copious gap allows for many layers of sting without it binding up. I recently learned “Flux Capacitor” from Ed Haponik’s amazing new tutorials and at the end when you drop everything to end in trapeze, you put a tone of string into the gap. This yo-yo took it and still wanted to play some more.

Now when it comes to my favorite thing, grinds, this yo-yo is no slouch. I can finger grind with the yo-yo straddling both sides of my finger instead of resting on top of it. Thumb grinds were a concern because the cup is shallow and barely covers half my thumb nail, but the IGR lip makes up for this and allows for some impressive 360 thumb grinds. Arm-grinds work well and just seem to float on my forearm. All this is made possible by the gorgeous bead blast finish on the NVx.

Final Thoughts

I have never had this much fun throwing a yo-yo. It is simply amazing. I must find one for my collection and I do not say that lightly. When the NVx drops at local shops near you do not hesitate to pick one up. It is something that I do not throw around lightly, a must have yo-yo. In fact I can say that the NVx has made me rethink my position on the original Envy line. While I am not sure I want to own one, at some point I would like to play an Envy 64. Great job Chris Kayatz and the rest of the Hspin crew.